Monday, February 17, 2014

Review: Angels in Leather by Bella Jewel

Her father gave her one task before he died. To deliver a package.
Now she has the baddest biker in the state after her.

He wants what she's got.

Secrets in both the past and the present threaten to destroy what she is working so hard for.

He threatens to ruin her heart.

Two worlds will collide to make something explosive.

3.5 Stars

Review by Lisa Kane

Meadow is on the run, running from Axel. A year before, her father, Mitchell Haynes was shot by Axel, he kissed her, handed her a USB drive and told her to give it to Raide. But above all things, make sure Axel doesn't get it. Meadow has known Axel since she was a child, back in those days he used to call her Cricket. But then something happened, he disappeared for 6 months and when he came back he wasn't the same. Now he's the Prez of the MC club Angels in Leather.

Meadow has gotten good at giving Axel the slip. But he always seems to find her. Now he has her cornered and it's clear there is no trace of the boy she once knew.

"You wouldn't hurt me like that," I rasp, quietly. "Would you?" He stops, and spins me around, staring down at me. His eyes are hard, and I can see deep in their depths that he would hurt me like that. My entire body breaks out in fear. "I'm a fucked-up man," he growls. "I'm not the person you remember. You don't know me anymore. You don't know the kind of shit that's in my headnow."

He eventually captures her, keeps her chained up and often starves her. This man is not a likeable character for me. Meadow is feisty and refuses to give in to him, she hid the USB drive but won't reveal where it is hidden. Axel tells her Raide is dead and there is no hope for her to have someone save her. After she almost dies (because of something he knew and used against her from their past) he finally begins to crack a little. The story is told in both their POV's so we are privy to the crazy thoughts that go through his mind. He is even shocked at how far he will go to get the USB drive. Apparently there is incriminating evidence that will hurt his MC and he won't let that happen.

He has constant nightmares about the things that he was forced to do when he was kidnapped by a nasty character named Beast- things women were forced to do to him until he could reach orgasm. Since that time, he's had to have rough sex with one of the Club whores, Miranda, who knows how things have to be.

Meadow witnesses one of his nightmares as he brings himself to climax. The two of them end up having sex but both want things to stop there-no emotion, nothing but brutal desire. Meadow eventually wants this to stop, to no longer run. Maybe her father wasn't the nice man she remembers, it seems he has secrets about Axel's kidnapping and the extent of his involvement.

When things turn ugly after she gives Axel the USB drive, she is wounded and Axel takes care of her. Something changes in their relationship. There are so many awful things that Azel has done to her, can she forgive him? Can she forget any of this things?

I had a tough time with the main character's actions. He is vile and crosses too many lines. Regardless of the horrible things he suffered while kidnapped, he twists his treatment of women with pain and control. Some of these issues are resolved with Meadow, but not all. Even at the end of the book, I still wasn't convinced this man was worthy of Meadow. Now she is a great character, full of attitude! This is a fairly quick read, but at times a difficult one.